In 1985, the world witnessed Princess Diana dancing with John Travolta to the song Saturday Night Fever. The now famous moment occurred at a White House dinner hosted by former President Ronald Reagan, in which the late princess and Travolta were both in attendance. The brewery expanded throughout the 20th century, eventually closing the Brooklyn plant in January 1976, selling out to the Stroh Brewery Company five years later. Its a medium-defining momentif I were trying to demonstrate what cinema is to someone with no knowledge of it whatsoever, that cut is one of the examples Id use. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our, Sign up for Vintage Chicago Tribune to get an inside look into the Tribunes archives delivered to your inbox weekly, Elmhurst Blotter: Man charged with battery for allegedly punching a security guard at a bar, Hinsdale police blotter: multiple thefts reported by patients at Hinsdale Hospital, Glenview police blotter: Harwood Heights woman charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. John Travolta in the iconic . To illustrate my thrifting achievement, I dug up a few photos of said suit in action 13 years ago when I could actually fit into the 38R suit! I think it fits with several other films about class, disillusionment and youth subcultures, including Quadrephenia and This is England.As Jon points out, Tony was based on a friend of Nik Cohn, though in fact the whole film was based on a fabricated magazine article. There are straight pockets along each side seam and the two jetted back pockets each close through a single button. Youd think he was Elvis Presley. Love the Eighties Then Check Out These Iconic Trends Now! While the acronym itself has a more puerile meaning that was all I could think of when trying to brand my new site back in my early 20s, the phrase BAMF Style has taken on some equity now and I feel tied to it. While Deney Terrio has been credited with teaching John Travolta how to dance disco, members of the . Holy Moses! They both are remarkable! To overly simplify, mise-en-scne refers to the composition of an individual shot, while montage refers to how contiguous shots relate to one another. The film is far from perfect, commented Roger Ebert in his four-star review, which itself masterfully explores what givesSaturday Night Fever such appeal seemingly despite itself. Other songs playing when Travolta is on-screen: "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees (opening credits) "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees (disco line . More important, the films script written by Serpico screenplay author Norman Wexler and based on a New York magazine article (Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night) by Nik Cohn is a derivative mix of Rocky and Mean Streets. Saturday Night Fever borrows the overwrought working class milieu of Rocky and the street gang violence of Mean Streets.. (1980), Of course, Gene Siskel had calledSaturday Night Fever his favorite movie of all time and owned one of Travoltas screen-worn suits for 17 years before selling it for $145,000 at a Christies auction in 1995. Whenreviewingthe film in 1999 after the death of his friend Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert included the following quote from Scott T. Anderson: The peculiar construction of disco pants is a marvel of modern engineering So loose at the ankles, yet so tight in the groin.. And after such an invigorating dance? With John Travolta, Cynthia Rhodes, Finola Hughes, Steve Inwood. John Travolta's White Suit in Staying Alive. Does it get any more timeless than that? Be aware: This film is spiked with graphic sex and violence. Theres an apocryphal story in the movie business about the wise old producer who used to applaud at the end of every movie because he knew how hard it was to make even a bad movie. The movies dancing scenes have been shrewdly constructed to go those on American Bandstand and Soul Train one better. "Gene had it, and . when Ted Stryker (Robert Hays) whips off the jacket of his U.S. Navy service dress white uniform, revealing a white vest and black disco shirt as he immediately strikes a pose. The films theme, Stayin Alive by the Bee Gees, is the anthem most associated with this film (and often wrongly with this scene), but it was the more romantic More Than a Woman that scored Tony and Stephanies award-winning dance at 2001 Odyssey. The film's theme, "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, is the anthem most associated with this film (and often wrongly . John Travolta and Karen Lynn Gorney in an iconic promotional image for Saturday Night Fever (1977). Made by movie fans, for movie fans.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MOVIE CHANNELS:MOVIECLIPS: http://bit.ly/1u2yaWdComingSoon: http://bit.ly/1DVpgtRIndie \u0026 Film Festivals: http://bit.ly/1wbkfYgHero Central: http://bit.ly/1AMUZwvExtras: http://bit.ly/1u431frClassic Trailers: http://bit.ly/1u43jDePop-Up Trailers: http://bit.ly/1z7EtZRMovie News: http://bit.ly/1C3Ncd2Movie Games: http://bit.ly/1ygDV13Fandango: http://bit.ly/1Bl79yeFandango FrontRunners: http://bit.ly/1CggQfCHIT US UP:Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1y8M8axTwitter: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmtPinterest: http://bit.ly/14wL9DeTumblr: http://bit.ly/1vUwhH7 Saturday Night Fever, a low-budget movie about Italian guys in some of Brooklyns sketchier neighborhoods, wasnt just a movie about disco: it was THE movie about disco. BAMF Style aims to explore interesting and iconic mens style in movies, TV, and real life. John Travoltas iconic white suit from Saturday Night Fever has been sold at auction for a phenomenal $260,000 (208,000). (For the record, I love the lengthy opening shot of Gravity, in which the weightlessness of space completely justifies Cuarns floating camera.) As the bolo-tied, pony-tailed gangster Vincent Vega, Travolta meets his match: the . At the same time, though, the dance is not a single unbroken take, though it plays like one. Lets be honest, who wasnt obsessed with John Travolta in the 1980s? In addition to Zukos smooth singing and dancing, he was irresistible thanks to the bad boy outfit he donned for most of the movie. In life, Tony is a peasant; on the disco dance floor, he's a king. Tony is remarkably cruel to Connie (played by the young Fran Drescher, with comparatively mild accent and nasal delivery), who comes on way too strong but doesnt necessarily deserve to be openly insulted. In the 80s, as evidenced by John Travolta's character in the 1983 drama Staying Alive, it was all about flared pants, bold colours, three-piece suits, and wide lapels. Now he's strutting toward his biggest challenge yet: succeeding as a dancer on the Broadway stage. Alex Borstein had quite a moment with Brett Goldstein at the Emmy's, Alex Borstein had quite a moment with Brett Goldstein at the Emmys. Of course, John Travoltas Tony Manero would need something special for the films climax, a major dance number with Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) set to the Bee Gees More Than a Woman. Often remembered for its soundtrack and street style, a closer look reveals an uncompromising film that wasnt afraid to explore the dark themes that lurked beneath the eras glittery polyester veneer, all propelled by an equally uncompromising star turn from a 23-year-old John Travolta. with Tony literally strutting to "Stayin' Alive" in the opening credits taking a very . Travolta stops at a shoe store. Throughout the film, Travolta wears two gold necklaces with pendants that all get lost in his maze of chest hair that remains constantly exposed by his half-buttoned shirts. 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During all those viewings in high school, I evidently glossed over the fact that this was one tough picture, as Sean Burns wrote in his excellent 2015 review for WBUR 90.9. The three outer pockets on the jacket are all patch pockets with pick stitched edges like the lapels. Tony Maneros white suit for the finale ofSaturday Night Fever remains one of the most iconic costumes in movies, less for its fashion value and more for symbolizing the hedonistic zeitgeist of the 70s celebrating one last hurrah before giving way to the ruthless materialism and conservative values of the 1980s. Travolta on the dance floor is like a peacock on amphetamines. Travolta plays Tony Manero, a Brooklyn paint-store clerk who'd give anything to break out of his dead-end existence. Travolta wears the button at the top of the point collar unbuttoned as well as the two buttons under it, exposinghis gold jewelry and chest hair. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The trousers rise high with the beltless waistband, which was reported to be a size 28 in V&As release (as posted on Dazeen). . She hesitates to get involved with Tony because she sees life with him as a throwback to the drab blue-collar life she has escaped. Film note: Saturday Night Fever is going to be a very popular motion picture, especially with the teen-age audience. I don't understand why critics always scorn this film. Within seconds were brought into the small business-lined streets of Brooklyn, which look very much like our own Lincoln Avenue, between Diversey Parkway and Foster Avenue. See production, box office & company info, At the Movies: National Lampoon's Vacation/Class/Staying Alive/Krull/A Star Is Born, Philharmonic Auditorium - 427 West 5th Street and South Olive Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA. The two-button suit jacket has four matching buttons on each cuff. Per Badhams edict regarding budget, even such a salient costume would need to be purchased off-the-rack. Everybody whos ever seen Saturday Night Fever (along with most people who havent) remembers Travoltas Tony Manero strutting his stuff hereits the most iconic moment in the movie, with Tony literally strutting to Stayin Alive in the opening credits taking a very distant second. Heroes from Sir Lancelot to Tom Mix wore white in the great contests to express purity and single-minded devotion to the task at hand," she explained ahead of the auction. (According to the DVD commentary, Travolta actually had two identical suits for the dance sequence; after performing (and sweating profusely) in one, he would switch into a second while the other suit dried.). move for mo. Nowhere is this better displayed than in a climatic scene in Saturday Night Fever. (Dont worry, reading about it wont ruin the movie, which runs on for another 20 minutes.) We, AOL, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. He lives at home with his working class Italian parents and grandmother. Share the best GIFs now >>> Eberts review mentions that he once had the opportunity to inspect theSaturday Night Fever suit that Siskel had in his possession and he noticed that it came with a shirt that buttoned under the crotch, so it would still look neat after a night on the dance floor. The Christies auction listing elaborates on this device, explaining that the shirt was attached to the waistband of the trousers with an elastic fabric; this allowed Mr. Travolta the freedom to dance and strike his now legendary poses.. In the five years that Ive been writing this column, no piece has been more controversial (to put it mildly) than my argument against one of Alfonso Cuarns complicated single-take shots in Children Of Men. Get an email every time I do something new. (Apologies to my classmates who likely had no idea that they were associating with a future style blogger and thus would be subject to being featured online in this context.).